Can extractor



E. LAXO CAN EXTRAG'I'OR Filed 001;. 8, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. f0 Lnxo Patented May 24, 1949 CAN EXTRACTOR Ed Laxo, Oakland, Calif., assignor to Atlas Imperial Diesel Engine 00., Oakland, Calif., a corporationof Delaware Application October 8, 1946, Serial No. 701,974

5 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to devices for extractingcan bodies and the like from their conveying mechanism.

It is anobject of the present invention to providean improved and simplified device for disengagingcr extracting can bodies-from a conveying mechanism, such as a continuous strand roller chain carrying the can bodies in single file progression through one'or a series of work performing stations.

Another object of the invention is to provide a can extracting or disengaging device which may be infinitely adjusted between limits to the closestdegree, to insure accurate timing between the operation of the extractor device and the positions of the can bodies on the conveying mechanism.

A'further object of the invention is to provide a device for extracting or disengaging can bodies from a conveying mechanism, whose proper op eration" remains unaffected by normal wear of theworking parts.

One form which the invention may assume is exemplified in the following description and illus-- trated bywa of example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. I is a fragmentary top plan view of a can bodyconveycr in operative relation to another chain conveyor to which the can bodies are to betransferred.

Fig. 2 is a top' plan view of the can extracting or disengaging portion of the mechanism disclosed in Fig. 1, with its parts in can releasing position.

Fig. 3 is a section taken generally along the line -33 onFig. l.

4 is a side elevation of the can extractor device as viewed from the right of Fig. 3-.

As disclosed in the drawings, a conveyor chain has gripping dogs l l attached to certain of its links I2 at spaced intervals. These dogs are provided with slotted gripping portions l3 for holding individual can bodies Hi as they are conveyed through the machine, such as a mechanism for soldering the sideseams of the can bodies. In the example of the invention disclosed in the drawings, it isv proposed to release the can bodies fronr the' gripping device H and transfer them at the. .proper time interval to a cooler-chain con veyorl5'at the moment of turning of the gripper chainaround a sprocket i6 whose teethv are drivahly engaging the chainlinks.

Thesprocketi6 is suitably attached. as by a." keyand slot connection ll, .lfl, to a vertical shaft l9 whose lower end is supported in suitahle'bearings 20 mounted onthe frame of themachine',

which has one end secured to a p'i'nz' llattachedto thelever 2i and its otherend secured to'a pin 25 fixed to the sprocket i 6. A' loearing pin 26' is fixed to the lever Z I (on the other side-of thje; shaft from the pin 24') and carries a'roI-ler 21 engaging the biasin'g surface 28 on one end of an actuating lever 29; oscillatably mounted-on a'-ful'-- provided with a cam follower roller-"3 Y on itsother end eng'ageable with astationary carn't'z in-which the shaft I 9 is'rotat'able.

The-ten'sio'n spring' zt, through the intreni'e diary of the extractor lever 2!, holds the fol lower roller 3! constantly in engagement with the cam 3'2. This cam is held maxed adjusted position by aholder rod 33 whose splitlarger hub end. Sdembraces the cam hunt-l5 and isclamped ther'eto' in any suitable manner, as by a clamp screw 36 extending through the ears 31-. ofth'e rod. The outer end 38 of the rod is disposed over a fixed'stud' 39' to serve'as an anchoring point, holding the rod 33 and the cam. 32 clamped thereto stationary. A collar "4'6 is mounted on the shaft it in juxtaposed relation with the cam hub 35' and rod and is fixed-to the shaft by a set screw' li, in order to 'hold all of the parts-in proper assembledposition;

extractor lever 2| is shaped to providediameter c'ally opposed can: body engaging fingers ZZj-Wl-ldse centeroi revolution coincides with the axis of the shaft: In the positionshown in Fig. 1, one at the fingers is about toextract or disengage a body it fromtheconveyor'chaingripper'dog i i, to move it from the dog slot wand transfer it to the cooler: lean Since two diametrical-1y opposed fingers are depicted in tnedraw'-- ings; the numb er of teeth in. the sprocket t-fi-must befitwice the numberor pitches Between successive gripper dogs 5 ion the conveyorchain mt inorderthat an: extractornnger zz'is'brought into: body end: engaging position at each halt revolution'ot thesprookett.

This lever is urged in a rear' crum pinor stud 30 secured to the sprocket. and

In t the: example: disclosed in i the: drawings? the It is further to be noted that two diametrically opposed lobes 42, 42 are formed on the stationary cam to oscillate the lever 29 twice during each revolution of the sprocket, and bias the extractor lever 2| to effect cam disengagement twice during each revolution of the sprocket. In addition to the two lobes 42, the cam has intermediate surfaces 43, 43 on its periphery which lie on a circle concentric with the axis of the shaft I9. Accordingly, as the sprocket l6 rotates with linear movement of the conveyor chain H], the extractor lever 2| and actuating lever 29 are carried around with it, the roller 3| on the end of the actuating lever riding upon the periphery of the stationary cam 32. During the time that the follower roller is engaging each circular surface 43 of the cam, no oscillating movement is imparted to either the actuating lever or the extractor lever, and they revolve with the sprocket at the same angular speed, occupying rearward positions as influenced by the tension spring 23. However, as the roller 3| rides up one face 32a of each cam lobe 42, the roller end of the actuating lever 23 is moved outwardly to bias its other end 28 inwardly in a forward direction, and, through engagement of such end with the roller 21 on the extracting lever 2|, imparts an additional angular movement in a forward direction to the extractor lever 2| and its fingers 22, causing the latter to engage the cam body ends and move them ahead of the gripper dogs out of the dog slots l3, or to a position of freedom, allowing their transfer to the cooler chain l (see Fig. 2). As the lever roller 3| rides down the other face 32?) of each cam. lobe t2, the spring 23 returns the extractor and actuating levers 2|, 29 to their original positions.

The cycle of operation is repeated as the cam roller 3| successively engages the cam lobes 42, each finger 22 successively engaging the ends of the can bodies l4 as they are fed in a forward direction by the conveyor Hi, the spring 23 then returning the levers 2|, 29 and fingers 22 to their initial positions. The position of the stationary cam 32 and its integral lobes 42 with respect to the follower roller 3| on the actuating lever 29 is preferably such that the can bodies it are removed or extracted from the gripper dogs II at the time the link l2 to which the dog is attached begins its turning movement around the sprocket I6. In the event that the time of contact of a finger 22 with the can body is to be varied, this can be done at will by loosening the clamping hub 3d of the holder rod 33 and turning the cam 32, either clockwise or counter-clockwise, as dictated by the requirements of the situation. Turning of the cam clockwise (as seen in Fig. 1) will advance the engagement of the fingers 22 with the cam bodies l4, and, conversely, its turning in a counter-clockwise direction will retard such moment of contact.

Although the device, as illustrated, has two extractor fingers 22 and two cam lobes 42, it is to be understood that the general operation of the device is unaltered through the use of only one finger or more than two fingers. As the number of fingers 22 is varied, the number of lobes 42 on the stationary cam must be varied correspondingly, and the ratio of the linear pitches between the position of the gripper dogs I! on the conveyor chain l0 to the number of teeth in the sprocket It must also be correspondingly altered.

The entire unit is made compactly, with all parts readily accessible. The entire mechanism may be assembled by placing the parts on the .4 shaft IS in the ascending order shown in Figs. 3 and 4, and the parts may also be removed by loosening the collar 40 and elevating the parts from the shaft in the reverse order to that in which assembly has occurred.

It is, accordingly, apparent that an extracting device has been provided in which infinite variation between certain fixed limits can be made in the instant of contact between the can body engaging fingers 22 and the can bodies M. As normal wear occurs in the operating parts, the proper time of engagement of the can engaging fingers with the can bodies can be insured to offset the factor of wear. Such adjustment is readily performable in the manner described above through turning of only a single part, namely, the cam 32.

While I have shown the preferred form of my invention, it is to be understood that various changes may be made in its construction by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Apparatus of the character described, comprising a conveyor chain having means located at spaced points thereon engageable with can bodies, a shaft, a sprocket for said chain secured to said shaft, a lever rotatable on said shaft for engaging and removing successive can bodies from said chain, an actuating lever pivoted on said sprocket and engageable with said lever, and a stationary cam around said shaft for moving said actuating lever on its pivot.

Apparatus of the character described, comprising a conveyor chain having means located at spaced points thereon engageable with can bodies, a shaft, a sprocket for said chain secured to said shaft, a lever rotatable on said shaft adjacent said sprocket for engaging and removing successive can bodies from said chain, an actuating lever pivoted on said sprocket and engageable with said lever, a stationary cam around said shaft adjacent said actuating lever for moving it on its pivot, and means secured to said shaft adjacent said cam to hold said cam, rotatable lever and sprocket in assembled relation on said shaft.

3. A sprocket assembly comprising a sprocket, a shaft concentric with and supporting said sprocket, a cam supported by said shaft and secured against rotation, said cam having a plurality of radial lobes, a main lever supported concentrically of said shaft and sprocket for rotation with said sprocket, said main lever having a plurality of radially disposed arms, an auxiliary lever supported pivotally and eccentrically on said sprocket and having a first arm engageable with said cam and a second arm engageable with said main lever and operable to pivot said lever on its fulcrum, and resilient means resiliently holding said main lever in contact with said second arm of said auxiliary lever and holding said first arm of said auxiliary lever in contact with said cam.

4. The sprocket assembly of claim 3 wherein said radial lobes of said cam are disposed equiangularly about the axis of said shaft and said radially disposed arms of said main lever are equal in number to said lobes and are disposed equi-angularly about the axis of said shaft, and wherein said first arm of said auxiliary lever is provided with a roller as the means of engaging said cam.

5. A sprocket assembly comprising a sprocket, a shaft supporting said sprocket and concentric thereof, a cam having a plurality of radial lobes, said cam being supported by and concentrically of said shaft, means for securing said cam against rotation, a main lever supported by said shaft, having said shaft as its fulcrum and having a plurality of radial arms, said lobes and said arms being equal in number and being disposed equiangularly about the axis of said shaft, an auxiliary lever secured to said sprocket for rotation therewith, having its fulcrum eccentric to said sprocket and having a first arm and a second arm, and spring means secured at one end to said 6 sprocket and at the other end to said main lever to hold said main lever in contact with said first arm and said second arm in contact with said cam.

ED LAXO.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,130,636 Rudolphi Mar. 2, 1915 2,207,349 Laxo July 9, 1940 

